COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Teachers and other school employees may lose their jobs or take pay cuts if the Putnam County Commission does not find a way to close a $2.1 million funding gap in the next budget.
The $2.1 million is what school planners say it will take in additional funding from local government to simply keep the county's schools operating at the same level as they have been.
Director of Schools Kathleen Airhart said the Putnam school budget has lost $1.3 million in sales tax revenue in recent years due to the recession. In that time, she said, commissioners have not given any significant increase in property tax revenue.
According to the Cookeville Herald-Citizen, some county commissioners have made it clear they will not vote to increase taxes for the school budget.
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Information from: Cookeville Herald-Citizen, http://www.herald-citizen.com/